Why paranoia will be Kenya’s best bet to prevent al-Shabaab resurgence

Editor's Note: Today's blogger of the day is Sammy Kwinga, a regular commentator on social, political and accountable governance issues. He analyses the hushed security threat that terrorists continue to pose to Kenya and explains why all citizens must embrace the fear of the unknown if we are to weed out al-Shabaab sympathisers and cripple enemy operations in the country.

Only last week, a UN report warned that the al-Shabaab terrorist threat facing Kenya and East Africa in general remains ominously high.

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Any doubts as to the credence of the warning have been laid to rest following a suspected al-Shabaab night raid in Kilifi County on Tuesday November 20, 2018 in which an Italian volunteer was kidnapped and several people injured.

The attack, whether perpetrated by bandits or extremists, cannot be simply wished away as it is reminiscent of the incident that has defined Kenya’s friction with terrorists over the past decade. In September 2011, a British tourist, David Tebbutt, was killed and his wife taken hostage by the Islamic extremists in Kiwayu, Lamu County.

Kenya responded to the invasion by deploying her military troops to Somalia to fight the al-Shabaab a few weeks later, a bold decision that triggered a spate of retaliatory attacks on our soil.

While a close-knit multi-agency approach involving security agencies and local communities has since significantly helped to neutralise the attacks locally, we continue to be served with fresh reminders that there is no time to celebrate.

The late Andrew Grove, one of America’s greatest capitalists once put it that; “Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive”. It is a reality that must be instilled in the mind of every Kenyan today.

While the security agencies deserve ample credit for the hard work and sacrifices made to secure the country from external aggressors, the Kilifi attack, coupled with recent sporadic al-Shabaab attacks in north eastern Kenya, are stark reminders that they ought to reengage the overdrive gear and hunt down the death merchants. The government should not relent in investing in apparatus to detect and counter emerging terrorism trends.

The civilian population is a crucial component in conquering extremism and must on its part remain highly vigilant and report any suspicious individuals or activities that threaten national peace and stability.

You can take it to the bank that some Kilifi residents were involved in spying and sharing details of the Italian volunteer with the enemies before the kidnap. This was a precise raid with all the hallmarks of a guided mission. It is such moles among us that should make us very afraid. We must be alert to their wicked yet covert operations and report even the slightest of suspicions to the security agencies.

Talking of security officers, it should not be lost on us that we are not dealing with saints. It was last week revealed that Kenya police officers at the Kenya-Somalia border allowed al-Shabaab suicide bombers into the country in February 2018 in exchange for bribes as low as KSh 2,000.

The terrorists crossed the border five times in three months, detected but unobstructed, and planned to launch simultaneous bomb attacks targeting critical government installations in Nairobi.

It’s nothing new as we have in the past heard stories of corrupt police officers escorting handcuffed armed terrorists from the border all the way to Mombasa where they set them free, having helped them evade scrutiny at police roadblocks by the virtue of being ‘suspects’ under police ‘guard’.

Betrayal does not get worse than this. It will take every eye and ear, and extraordinary courage, to pluck out such Iscariots, the sell-outs in uniform, from the multitude of patriotic officers who diligently serve this nation.

In a nutshell, let each and every one of us do what he must do - no matter how insignificant it may seem - to keep our country safe. Let us not let complacency deliver us into the hands of the evil enemy.

Opinions expressed in this article is solely that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the position of TUKO.co.ke.

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